☻ 4 nights of performance: 2 sold outs & 1 standing ovation ☻
Show director & producer: El Chen
Assistant director: Elena Burciu
Assistant producer: Merlin Stevens
Tech genie: Atrix Morgana Jean Cragnotti
Graphic designer: Mikaela Dragon
Social media: Beatriz Do O
Marketing: Holly Walters
Photographer: Paul Tait
Assistant director: Elena Burciu
Assistant producer: Merlin Stevens
Tech genie: Atrix Morgana Jean Cragnotti
Graphic designer: Mikaela Dragon
Social media: Beatriz Do O
Marketing: Holly Walters
Photographer: Paul Tait
What happens when our connection goes beyond identity, logic, and known paths? A performance devised from eleven weeks of play, experiment, and documentation, In Search of Exquisite Medicines, explored life-giving access to connection: imagination, visceral senses, deep presence…and what it takes to keep them present in our lives.
I designed the show posters, art directed the photoshoot and created some of the social content for the show. I also performed on stage alongside 5 other members of the cast.
I designed the show posters, art directed the photoshoot and created some of the social content for the show. I also performed on stage alongside 5 other members of the cast.
The challenge of the design is to visualise a show that has no scripts, no plots nor linear stories and no key takeaways.
Due to the project timeline, the poster design has 3 variations: Concept & Cast with a light and a dark version. The Concept version was used as a pre-tease to promote the show and sell tickets before the photoshoot took place. While the Concept Design focuses on the idea of the show, the Cast versions act as an invite to meet the cast members, which was also translated into a series of animated gifs on social.
Due to the project timeline, the poster design has 3 variations: Concept & Cast with a light and a dark version. The Concept version was used as a pre-tease to promote the show and sell tickets before the photoshoot took place. While the Concept Design focuses on the idea of the show, the Cast versions act as an invite to meet the cast members, which was also translated into a series of animated gifs on social.
Concept version
The design concept centres on the show's core theme, utilising a prism as a metaphor for discovering beauty from diverse viewpoints. It suggests that beauty is found in seeing things differently. The headline, bold yet delicate, hints at the fleeting nature of beauty, emphasising its ephemeral essence.
Cast version - Light
The design captures the diverse spectrum of emotions expressed by the cast, reflecting their collective journey throughout the process. This mirrors the rich array of emotions conveyed in the final performance.
Cast version - Dark
The director couldn't decide which version she preferred so we had both!
CONCEPT Design exploration
Route 1: individual journey
The designs concentrate on the individuals' journey of searching for the so-called medicines. While some may look for beauty in their everyday encounter with the surrounding world, others may choose to look inwards. The search itself is beauty at its finest.
CONCEPT Design exploration
Route 2: collective journey
The designs give a glimpse of how the ensemble interacts with each other during the process of making the show. From movements, and moments of story sharing, to one-to-one exercises, the sparks appear when the cast members connect. These gems then become the materials of the final performance.
Using AI, I was able to develop an image from a stock photo to show a smaller cast with more diverse movements (dancing, walking, standing still etc.)
Once the design was chosen, I embarked on the search for that exquisite shade of blue.
Meet the Cast social posts
In Search of Exquisite Medicines' original cast
THE PERFORMANCE
"The piece itself is a series of mixed scenes, musical numbers and movements emerging from life experiences, hopes and concerns loosely sewn together with a theme of connection and loneliness."
- The Review Hub -
"The piece itself is a series of mixed scenes, musical numbers and movements emerging from life experiences, hopes and concerns loosely sewn together with a theme of connection and loneliness."
- The Review Hub -
